Frequently Asked Questions about OpenRemote, Inc.

Questions related to OpenRemote Inc., the company vision, the business model, partners and licensing agreements.

Why OpenRemote?

OpenRemote wants to make building/home control technology ubiquitous. One ORB in every home. OpenRemote is an open community in Automation and Domotics space. We promote open standards, open collaboration and open implementations. We develop Open Remote Building Operating System Standard on off-the-shelf hardware and integrate with variety of protocols.

Why Open Source?

Nowadays, low barrier to entries help create critical mass of adoption. OSS is one way to go about it. Furthermore we believe the control industry suffers from a lack of standards. OSS implementation strongly favor standards in a positive feedback loop. Think of the internet, the internet is based on standards, the internet is mostly open source. High-cost and proprietary systems create a negative feedback loop that keep the HA industry small. To break free of this log-jam we want to go an open source route.

Does Open Source mean I can't do "business" with OpenRemote?

No. See below.

Is OpenRemote.org funded?

Yes. OpenRemote Inc. provided the initial private funding for the OpenRemote.org effort. On a ongoing basis, OpenRemote Inc. derives revenue from support and consulting to the industry around the OpenRemote codebase. This in turn funds OpenRemote development.

Who is OpenRemote Inc.?

OpenRemote Inc. is a C corporation that was created to enable the sponsorship of OpenRemote org - in the vein of JBoss.com/JBoss.org, Asterisk/Digium examples. The ownership of OpenRemote, Inc. is meant to be distributed amongst the contributors to the project. OpenRemote, Inc. follows a Professional Open Source methodology. It means that top contributors usually end up participating in the company, first as contributors, then as consultant as business develops, then as full time employees and owners.

I am an custom installer, is OpenRemote for me?

Yes. With the release of OpenRemote 2.0, we are ready to take the product to the field. At this stage of our development OpenRemote 2.0 is ready for early adopters in the installer community. For example OpenRemote has established a reputation amongst european installers for its support of KNX on modern panels. At this time self-training is the best option. There is a wealth of material on the site. However this means we recommend you be somewhat tech savvy to deal with OpenRemote. The forums are also a good resource.

How do I get training? How do I get support? Can you help me?

As the field adoption grows and demands it, OpenRemote, Inc. will offer training and certification programs to help custom installers in due course. We will also actively manage and promote partner installers by geography. The forums are the main resource to get support.

Under what license is OpenRemote software distributed?

OpenRemote Inc. makes its software available under the AGPL and GPL. Both are Free Software licenses. This means the community can use, modify and distribute at no cost. The obligation is to license your modifications in turn. For those commercial users who specifically do not want to use the GPL, we have a dual licensing model.

What is a dual licensing model?

A dual licensing model is one by which a commercial entity can purchase a commercial license to free software. This enables redistribution with commercial licenses. You don't have to open source your own software. This model is very popular in the professional open source world for OEM and ISV.

I am a software vendor ISV, can I embed OpenRemote?

Yes, but. The GPL states that derivative works must be licensed under the GPL. This means that by default your own work needs to be Open Source as well. If this is not an acceptable option for you then there is dual licensing. Please contact us for more details.

I am a software vendor ISV, can you support me?

YES. Emphatic yes. This is the core of OpenRemote Inc. business model. We are ready to assist companies in their use of OpenRemote. This means consulting, support and maintenance. Please contact us for more details.

I am a hardware OEM, can I embed your software with my hardware?

Yes. The usual AGPL license requirements apply. Please contact us for more details.

I am an integrator, can OpenRemote assist me?

Yes. OpenRemote Inc. is here to help you with your integration need. There is consulting and support available. OpenRemote is clearly a good fit for industrial integrators.

What is the OpenRemote Contributor License Agreement?

This is for contributors. It was directly inspired by those used at MySQL, Apache and Red Hat. If you want to contribute to OpenRemote project, you must sign the OpenRemote Contributor License Agreement. While OpenRemote redistributes the software under AGPL/GPL primarily, the ORCLA enables the dual licensing model. Contact us if you're interested in contributing and want write access to the source repository.